Faith & culture · The Holistic Counselor Podcast learning guide
From the Mic to the Community
What is Christian counseling?
Ask how faith, training, and clinical care come together.
Diana S. Rice · Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP), Qualified Supervisor (QS)
4 pages · No email required · Education, not individual care
You may want someone who understands your Christian faith and also takes your mental health seriously. It helps to ask what the words Christian counseling mean in that person’s work.
The label is broad
A licensed clinician may include Christian beliefs, prayer, or Scripture when the client wants that. Other people using the same label may offer pastoral or lay support. The title alone does not tell you whether someone is licensed to provide mental health treatment.
Your preferences belong in the plan
Ask whether faith practices are optional and how disagreement is handled. Sharing a faith does not mean sharing every belief. You can want Christian care and still ask direct questions about methods and evidence.
Ask about the whole care team
Discuss whether the provider coordinates with medical or psychiatric care when needed. Spiritual support should not require you to stop prescribed treatment without speaking with the prescriber.
Research & perspective
What to keep in mind
Christian counseling describes an orientation, not one standardized therapy. Evaluate the specific treatment, professional qualifications, and fit for your needs. A faith organization’s resources explain its perspective; they are not proof of treatment effectiveness.
Explore the sources ↓A moment for you
Let’s pause and reflect.
Choose one question, or take your time with all three. Your answers can stay private. Skip anything that feels like too much; you do not need to revisit painful details to use this guide.
- What do I want faith to add to counseling?
- What would I prefer to leave out?
- What would help me voice a disagreement?
Use your own notebook or the writing space in the PDF. This page does not ask you to submit reflections.
Optional faith reflection
What kind of support helps me seek truth without fear of being shamed?
Continue the conversation
Listen with curiosity.
Selected conversations to begin with. Guests share their own perspectives; a linked episode is not a treatment recommendation or a complete review of the evidence.
- Episode 53
- Episode 122
Make room for support
Questions to bring to a professional
- Are you offering licensed therapy, pastoral care, or another service?
- How do you ask permission before using prayer or Scripture?
- How do you combine clinical evidence and faith?
One next step
Ask about both credentials and the role of faith before booking. You can request a different approach if something does not fit.
Keep learning
Sources & useful resources
These links support the teaching and help you explore further. Professional organizations describe their own approaches; faith organizations describe their perspectives. Directories are starting points, not endorsements.
- American Association of Christian Counselors ↗
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: Types of mental health professionals ↗
Services, fees, rules, and links may change. Confirm current details directly.
When a guide is not enough
Need support right now?
In the U.S. and its territories, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers support for emotional distress or a suicidal crisis.
If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency in the U.S., call 911. Outside the U.S., use your local emergency or crisis service.
This website and its contact form do not provide crisis care.